View report page

41
Steam raising plants and hot water installations, etc.
Steam
raising
The regular examination of samples from the steam raising plants and ancillary equipment
has continued at the Northern Outfall Works and at County Hall. Considerable
extension of boiler water conditioning and the regular examination of samples for
control purposes has taken place at institutions under the control of the Chief Engineer's
Department. Phosphate conditioning of boiler water has been adopted as standard
practice and is showing satisfactory results in the prevention of scale formation and the
removal of old scale.
Hot
water
plant
Regular examination of samples from the softening and hot water plants at the
Royal Festival Hall has been continued to check the performance of the plants. Regular
tests on other hot water installations have also been continued. In addition, problems
arising from scale formation and corrosion have been investigated and advice given as
to the appropriate steps to be taken. Interesting examples of such work are :
Severe corrosion was found in the heating system of a new infants' school.
The heater batteries were choked with the product of corrosion—black magnetic
iron oxide. A peculiar feature, namely, loss of chloride from the water, suggested
electrical leaks and electrolysis as one of the factors. The investigation was still
proceeding at the end of the year.
A black sludge from a boiler house sump and associated water ; the water was
found to be a hard ground water high in sulphate. The black sludge was a mixture of
coke ash, organic and vegetable debris, the black colour being due to iron sulphide
formed from iron oxide in the coke ash and hydrogen sulphide produced by
bacterial action on the sulphate in the water.
Statutory duties
Petroleum
(Consolidation)
Act,
1928
Ninety-three samples were examined to decide whether their use could be controlled
under the Petroleum Act or to estimate fire or explosion risks. Statutory certificates
were issued where appropriate. Two of the samples were petroleum spirit within the
meaning of the Act and 53 were petroleum mixtures such as rubber solutions or cellulose
paints. Thirty-eight were found not to come within the provisions of the Act, five
because they did not contain petroleum spirit although flashing below 73 degrees
Fahrenheit, and 33 because their flashpoints were not below this temperature.
Some of these samples were taken after accidental spillages or escapes of spirit and
were examined to ascertain whether spirit was still present in sumps or manholes.
In one case, a fire hose used to pump out a tank believed to contain water was found
to be full of motor spirit.
In another case, spirit and paraffin had been inadvertently mixed, and it was desired
to ascertain what was the least proportion of paraffin necessary to bring the flash point
up to 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
London
Building
Acts
(Amendment)
Act, 1939
Advice was given on the properties of materials in use in certain premises to which
various sections of the London Building Act apply.
L.C.C.
(Celluloid,
etc.) Act,
1915
A sample of special film examined under this Act was found not to be celluloid and
not to be highly inflammable.
Town and
Country
Planning
Act, 1947
During the year an officer of the Branch was required to attend the hearing of an
appeal under this Act in order to advise the officers presenting the Council's case. It
was also necessary to visit a number of premises in order to assign various processes to
their most suitable classification under the Use Classes Order, having regard to the
chemical nature of the operations and their potential nuisance value in the neighbourhood.